The Crans Montana Ski School

It all began in 1911, with the world’s first alpine ski race, the Kandahar, founded by the son of an English lord… or was it at the dawn of the century just a few years before that, thanks to Doctor Stefani, who, in between two tuberculosis healing sessions, was already donning skis? Although the true heritage of mountain skiing may have been lost in the passing of time, one thing is certain: the first ski lesson was in 1911, given by an Austrian shoemaker living in Crans Montana to the very English Captain Hoppenmeyer.

After WWI, Herr Bauer began teaching ski lessons again, primarily for the local park and forest hotels (one of his students was even a British Prime Minister). The enthusiasm of the Roaring Twenties helped draw in a steady stream of candidates, and by 1926 the shoe repair shop had become a ski school — even though they didn’t get their license until 1933! It was an incubator for talented skiers and teachers, including filmmaker Charles Dubost (from Crans), Henri Clivaz (from Bluche), and Messrs. Balmer, Savioz, Felli, Maurice, and Hencboz. These men helped cement the role of skiing in the high plateau region for good.

The seal of approval
Together, the Ski School and Ski Club worked together to develop skiing for locals and tourists alike, who only continued to increase in number once paid vacation days became the norm. Some names rose to the top, like the young Alfred-Germain (aka “Bouby”) Rombaldi, a native of Montana and a Ski School professor, who participated in the Saint-Moritz Olympic Games in 1948, became the Swiss Combined Champion in 1951, and was the coach of the Swiss Women’s Olympic Ski Team from 1956-1960. There was also Georges (“Collo”) Felli, who shone at the Trophée du Mont-Lachaux for many years, in addition to being a ski jumper and ice hockey player. It was a time of opulent snowfall and bobsleighing as promised by Rinaldo Jacomelli, who convinced Bourvil to become the honorary president of the local bobsleighing club. The people came: Lino Ventura, Michèle Morgan, Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and even Jackie Kennedy, future Onassis.

The school’s evolution
The years 1990-2000 saw the arrival of snow guns, snowboarding, and carving. The professors who were not already on the forefront of emerging trends adapted. Then in 2016, the Ski Schools of Crans and Montana joined forces, forming one of the largest ski schools in the country, with 400 paid staff members serving over 2,000 clients a day.

Classes for children were then developed, the office of mountain guides was folded in, and a bike school was invited to take part in the summer programming, with camps as a bonus. Now the Crans Montana Ski School (ESS CM) is heavily involved in bike championships and the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. “It all favours the emergence of new mountain activities, contributes to sustainable, 4-season mountain tourism, and helps compensate for short winter seasons by offering new perspectives for this beautiful destination”, explains Nicolas Masserey, the current director of the Crans Montana Ski School.

Now more than ever, youth classes are a priority. As a result, the majority of the Ski School’s monitors are also active in the area’s local clubs and in competitive circles, further enhancing their teaching abilities. “The Grand Prix Crans-Montana Junior races, organised by ESS CM, unite over 300 young skiers from clubs in the region and beautifully reflect our local collaborations”, added Nicolas Masserey. Several national ski personalities, like Marc Rochat and Luca Aerni, even grew up skiing on the local slopes, with Aerni being taught by his father, who is a teacher at ESS CM. 

Happy birthday!
The centenary of the school promises to be both festive and athletic, kicking off at the start of the season with a film, a magazine, and a party at the Le Régent Congress Center. Then, from March 20-22, three days of educational competitions take place, revolving around the Grand Prix Crans-Montana Junior. On the schedule are events between various ski teachers from Valais and a commemorative slalom in full costume (and equipment!) from back in the day, symbolically signposted with 100 course markers. The summer months will welcome a junior mountain biking race modelled after the winter Grand Prix.

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